Families play big roles for Rosenberg jewelry store and its security force

By Trish Johnson

Updated 5:10 pm, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Photo: George Wong

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Herfort Diamond Ring Factory is a family-run business that employs a security force that is made up of members of the Delgado family. From left are: Danielle Delgado, Juan Delgado, Brigitta Herfort, Ann Herfort Lane, Mark Herfort and J.D. Delgado.Herfort Diamond Ring Factory is a family-run business that employs a security force that is made up of members of the Delgado family. From left are: Danielle Delgado, Juan Delgado, Brigitta Herfort, Ann Herfort Lane, Mark Herfort and J.D. Delgado.

Herfort Diamond Ring Factory is a family-run business that employs a security force that is made up of members of the Delgado family. From left are: Danielle Delgado, Juan Delgado, Brigitta Herfort, Ann Herfort

"While I do care about inventory, I care about the personal safety of my family, my employees and my customers," Herfort said.

Owner and operator of Herfort Diamond Ring Factory in Rosenberg, Herfort has discovered he need look no further than one local family to provide that security.

"I hired Juan Delgado when he was at the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and it came to the attention of my security scheduler that Juan had some spare time," said Herfort.

When he learned several years later that a younger generation of Delgados had entered law enforcement, too, he hired J.D. and Danielle Delgado, too.

J.D. and Danielle, who goes by Dani, are the twin son and daughter of Juan Delgado. The trio now form a large part of the security team at the Rosenberg business.

"I have been a victim of crime and security is a top issue with me," Herfort said. "Once you've been a victim of violence, you can't forget it. I have a lot of sympathy for our soldiers who come back home."

Herfort expresses a lot of confidence in the trio.

"They have the right experience, and great personalities. I feel safe with them, and a big portion of that is the high visibility of my security," Herfort said.

Law enforcement has claimed the interest of more than three members of the family, though.

J.D. and Dani's sister, Julia, 31, is also an officer with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, and Juan points out he has a sister-in-law with the Bay City Police Department and a brother-in-law in that city's reserves.

Juan's law enforcement career came after a stint in the 82nd Airborne with the U.S. Army.

"I was stationed at Fort Bragg and getting out of the Army," Juan remembered. "As a part of Project Transition, when the Army helps you transition to civilian life, the Army sent me to the police academy."

After 13 years with the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office, he joined the Bay City department 15 years ago.

"I started working at Herfort's when Dani was 8 and needed braces," Juan said.

Dani and J.D., both 28, have worked for Herfort for at least five years each.

The twins are both with the Rosenberg Police Department, Dani as a detective and J.D. as a police instructor, field training officer II.

"It just seemed kind of natural to go to work for Mark," said J.D. "My father has been working there - you kind of grow up with Mark.

"And, in the beginning, it's what your dad stands for, the heroism, and idolizing your dad. At the end of the day you want to help people. You want to stand in the way of the bad people. I can't think of anything else that's more rewarding," J.D. added.

Dani shares her brother's view of their dad as being a hero.

"I remember when I was little and watching my dad put on his uniform and thinking, 'He's going out to get the bad guys'," she said.

"Basically, I was meant to do this," she added.

Dani is married to Aaron Slater, a lieutenant in the Rosenberg Police Department and is the mother of a 14-month-old and stepmother to two children.

J.D. and his wife, Karol, are expecting their first child.

While Dani was hired by the Rosenberg Police Department just before her 21st birthday, J.D. started working at the city jail when he was 18. He has been with the Rosenberg department for three years, having also worked in the Richmond Police Department and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

"Rosenberg is a very tight-knit police department," J.D. said. "It gives my wife a sense of comfort. She worries. I was already a police officer when we got married about a year ago, and I guess that makes it easier. She kind of grew into the culture."

Both J.D. and Dani, like their father, feel Herfort's family members and employees are like family to them.

"It's an excellent place to work, said J.D., "because they are so family oriented."

"You get to know the people you work with there," said Dani, "and they're very, very friendly. My worst nightmare is not being able to protect people. I would put my life on the line for any of those people I work for. They're relying on you to protect them from the bad guys."

In at least one instance the security job at Herfort's and Dani and J.D.'s law enforcement jobs have overlapped.

"A man came into the store trying to sell jewelry and he didn't look like he should have the jewelry he had," Dani remembered.

"I contacted my brother, who was on patrol, with a description of the individual. My brother was able to stop the man on a traffic violation and we found a lot of stolen property in the car, video games, play stations, jewelry.

"That was one case where we got the property back to the owners."

"Herfort's is important to me," said Juan. "You're in charge of all the people who work there. You grow close to them after working there for a number of years."

Even after more than three decades in the business, Juan said he still worries about his children.

"J.D. I kind of expected would become a police officer," he said. "When he was little he would sometimes ride with me or go to work with me when I had an office job.

"Julie started out as a dispatcher and then went to the academy at Wharton (County) Junior College."

He said Dani surprised him. "I didn't expect she would go into police work.

"It does worry me," he said. "Sometimes I get late-night telephone calls from the kids to translate because my kids don't speak Spanish, and that's fine. It keeps me knowing what they're doing."